Monday, 12 November 2012

The Beg Bicycles Joy Ride

I was recently
introduced to a local cycling group in Cambridge through a friend of The
Secluded Tea Party.

Esther, a PR Guru
for Duxford Imperial War Museum is a huge fan of all things vintage, cycling and
afternoon tea related... A girl after my own heart ; )
Esther voluntarily runs the "Beg Bicycles" Cycling group in and around Cambridge,
with this particular group being about the beautiful and locally made Beg
Bicycles, a "Sit Up and Beg" bike that steals the heart of every
person who lays eyes on it. You just have to look at it to see why the lovely
Esther is so passionate about this ride, it's the most fun bike I've ever seen
and it suits a leisurely ride in Cambridge down to the ground.

This isn't the Lycra-clad kind of cycling group that I had feared, no no. This
group is made up of members who fancy a relaxed bike ride as more of a social
outing, a natter in between bike paths and obstacles such as roads or out of
control tourists to contend with. And naturally, to keep the very
"British" feel to proceedings, there is a tea stop or two. Wahoo.
Failing a tearoom stop en route, a pub may sometimes be planned into the ride.This is my kind of ride!
Open to anybody and everybody, man or woman, with there being a 50:50 mix, The Beg Bicycles Joy Ride is usually held on the last Sunday of every month
and has been running for well over a year now, with a strong following of
members, there is usually 8 - 15 riders each month, depending on the usual
variables.

I decided to join Esther and her fellow cyclists at Newnham Park a few weeks
ago on a beautiful autumnal morning, to meet at the free car park with my mountain bike (which was embarrassingly
dirty from my ride the day before, but it didn't matter) where I was welcomed
with ever so friendly faces and introductions to each of the members. I was
made to feel relaxed from the start and I was very much looking forward to my
first proper ride through Cambridge, something that is brand new to me, even
though I've lived here all my life. I'm a country girl, so a city ride was
weirdly exciting for me.
It didn't matter that I didn't have an old fashioned bike, some members are
mountain bike owners too, it truly isn't a problem. It's simply about adoring
Esther's beautiful Beg Bicycle and spending the entire ride wondering how you
are going to justify buying your own and precisely which accessories you will
purchase to adorn your dream bike for future rides.
The stunning basket for your bags, books, groceries and perhaps even a little dog is
a must ; )

... It's truly how my thought process went throughout the ride! It's a gorgeous
bike and Esther talked me through exactly what it was like to ride, how she had
tackled a few challenging hills on this beauty over the last year and more
importantly, we all discussed our favourite tea stops, locally and nationally.
It was so much fun talking to like minded tea lovers whilst keeping fit at the
same time. It's the perfect match for the afternoon tea lover in me.So, to our planned route.

We cycled from Newnham Park through to the Millpond, before dismounting to head
up towards Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street. We turned left and up Kings
Parade, taking in the beautiful sights of Kings College before dismounting
again to walk up Trinity Street (one way street here) to Bridge Street. From
here, we cycled past the Varsity Hotel to Jesus Green and along the river
towards Midsummer Common, continuing past the Sunday Morning rowers all the way
up to Ditton Fields.
It's beautiful along the river, something I've never done before on wheels and
I enjoyed the friendly faces you pass on bikes, with everybody enjoying the
autumnal views of boat houses and trees as you head out towards Milton Country
Park, our destination for today's pit stop.
After a whiz around the park, trying to avoid the muddy puddles in case Esther
came flying off her beautiful bike in a "deeper than it looks" kind
of puddle, we stopped at the small coffee shop for a huge mug of coffee and a
mid-morning treat to re-fuel. I went for a cappuccino and a gluten free
Bakewell slice, which although was a little crumbly, was delicious and melted
in my mouth. We enjoyed the fresh air & sunshine at the outdoor seating area and
smiled at the lovely dogs that passed us whilst still nattering about the finer
things in life, such as our experiences of posh hotels and afternoon teas,
easily amused hehe.

We headed up to Milton Tesco roundabout and took a left over the A14 bridge,
which is actually steeper than it looks, heading back towards the River Cam and
taking in the beautiful buildings and streets in Chesterton that I had never
really given time to admire before, it's actually a very pretty part of Cambridge
when you look closely. Believe it or not, it truly is!
We picked up the tow path back towards Midsummer Common, past all the beautiful
narrow boats with friendly owners admiring the bikes as we passed. With the
winning part of the ride for me being the final leg, cycling back down Trinity
Street towards Kings College.
What a view! - The old shops on Trinity Street loom over you in a way that I'd never really noticed
when walking the cobbles over the last 25 years or so. It's a must for any
cyclist in Cambridge and a view you simply need to take in, with Kings on your
right as you meander through the aimless tourists that I would normally get
annoyed at by foot or in the car.

We racked up around 12 miles on our journey and I enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, so much so, that I took the mister back a week later to show him the route and he loved it as much as I did!
The next Joy Ride is on Sunday 25th November in Melbourn this time.
Meeting for a leisurely ride around this beautiful Cambridgeshire village,
followed by a pub lunch to toast the year and get ready for Christmas. It's one
not to be missed and not too far out of town. Perfect.

To find out more, simply visit the Beg Bicycles website below and have a nosy at their beautiful blog on previous Joy Rides as well as features on the Beg Bicycle in all it's glory.
And ask for Esther to get you on the mailing list and keep you posted on the
monthly rides.
Hopefully see some of you there...

Read The Secluded Tea Party's Guestbook...

Introducing... The Secluded Tea Party Travelling Venue!

Why Not Book a Home or Garden or even an After-Work Pop-Up Tea Party in my Travelling Tea Party Venue! Contact me for more information and a chat about the endless possibilities! We Can suggest booking for Civilised Hen Parties, Birthday Parties, Children's After School Tea Parties, "Ladies Wot Do Lunch" Tea Parties, Baby Showers, Sweet 16th, 18th, even 21st & 30th Birthdays, all served with beautiful vintage mis-matching china, Home-made Afternoon Tea Treats made & served by Miss Sue Flay.

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE

Latest Blog Posts

My Press Clippings...

The Legal Blurb....

All photographs are my own work (Unless noted with permission from the owners) and should not be used without my permission.

Some recipes here are my own work. It is obvious from reading my Blog whether it is an original recipe, whether it is a previously published recipe from another cook or another source, or whether I have made enough adaptations to a previously published recipe to be able to call the result my own work.

If any of my cooking inspires you to try it (And I really hope that it does!), or make something similar, then please do me the courtesy of acknowledging your source, and linking to the relevant post, as I do for others.